Propelling and maneuvering system for vessels



Feb. 12, 1929. 1,702,222

C. M. PAXTON PROPELLING AND MANEUVERING SYSTEM FOR VESSELS Filed March19, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR w wog MATTQRNEY fgforziflj arion Feb.12, 1929. 1,702,222

C. M. PAXTON PROPELLING AND MANEUVERING SYSTEM FOR VESSELS Filed Mal-6n19, 1927 S'SheetS-She t 2 i l l g u fiTQ P E TOR A4: ATTORNEY Feb. 12',1929.

C. M. PAXTON PROPELLING AND MANEUVERING SYSTEM FOR VESSELS Filed March19, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Feb. 12, 1 929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' onrrronnm. PAXTON, or PIERMONT-ON-HUDSON, NEW YORK, AssIGNoR TO PAXTONi CORPORATION or AMERICA.

Application filed March 19, 1927. Serial No. 176,600. g

My present invention relates to systems of the above type, in whichwater jets are employed as a medium for moving the vessel.

Preferably, the main propulsionot' the vessel system of propulsion maybe employed inv combination with a screw through which part of thepoweris applied, the jet system alone may be and preferably isutilizedas the sole medium for applying the propulsive efiort.

My present invention concerns more particularly means for flexiblyapplying the power to the jets both for propulsion and for maneuvering.

One feature relates to organizing a propelling and maneuvering system sothat high speed, sources of power such as steam or internalcombustionengines, or electric motors are utilized through a novelarrangement of pumps of the centrifugal type, for the purpose and withthe result that motor or motors running at the most efficient speed willsupply the maximum amount of water at the pressure desired for the jets,I find that where a powerful, high speed motor is directly connectedwith a single centrifugal pump designed to deliver the desired-gallonsper minute against 40 the required-pressure, the diameter for theimpeller is likely to be so 'great that, at normal 7 full speed, thewater will be delivered at avelecity much higher than necessary. To meetthis condition, I employ a plurality of pumps v of proportionallysmaller size so that the normal peripheral velocity of the centrifugalimpellers and the resulting velocity ofthe water Will be decreased tothat required for the jets,- while the number of the pumps will bemultiplied to whatever extent necessary to deliver the required gallonsper minute atthe lower velocity.

another feature is the use of a number of pump operating in parallelrelation to supply a distributing system including a pipe that leads tothe main propelling jets in the bow, and that has branch pipes leadingto maneuvering jets, the various branches of the system being equippedwith valves andcent-ral control means. whereby part or all of the waterfrom the pumps may be diverted to one or two or more of the maneuveringnozzles, as may be desired. Centrifugal pumps particularly lendthemselves to the widely vary ing volumes of discharge attendant uponsuch shifting uses of the water supply. When the back pressure becomesgreat enough, centrifugal pumps simply slip, whereas positive pumps ofthe gear pump type can operate to stall the engine with possible damageto the .motor or pumps or the distributing system.

A feature of the maneuvering system is locating the maneuvering nozzlesin proper relation to the lateral center of resistance of the boat tosidewise movement; Thus arranged, it is possible to maneuver theboatbroadside at varying speeds, while increasing or decreasing the force ofthe stream discharged through the maneuvering jets.

The above and other features of my invention will be more evident fromthe following description in connection with the accompanying drawings,in which 1 is a top plan view diagrammatically indicating avesselequipped'in accordance with one form of my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modi- Fig. 8 is an exterior sideelevation of a vessel diagrammatically indicating adesired arrangementof main propelling jets, maneuvering jets and intake;

Fig. 4 is adetailedview indicating an electric motor means for operatingthe various valves shown in the preceding figures; Fig. 5 1s adiagrammatle end elevation of the bow of a vessel indicating a preferredarrangement for the subdivided sets of propclllng ets shown in F 1g. 3;

Fig. 6 1s a detailed horizontal section of a preferred form of nozzle;and

with an ordinary rudder,-2, diagrammatioah ly indicated as being of thebalanced type, the rudder post, 3, being intermediate the fore and aftareas of the blade. The propelling system includes a motor, 4*. and, ifdesired, a second motor, 4, each directly connected with centrifugalpumps as 5, 5, having intakes at 6, 6" and discharging directly into afore and aft distributing main 7, the discharge outlets being controlledby valves diagramn'iatically indicated at 8, 8.. These valves arediagrammatically indicated and the actual construction may he andpreferably is, arranged for electrical mot-or control after the mannerindicated in Fig. l, described hereafter. The main, 7, supplies aheader, 9, for the bow jets, S), 9", which are rearwardly directed toail'ord induced streai'n line propulsion as indicated by the lines a,(5, etc. Preferably, these jets are designed in accordance with theprinciples explained in my said prior patent, the showing of the streamlines in Fig. 1 being carried only to the dotted lines at the maximumcross-section.

In the present case, the said section is assumed to be the center oflateral resist ance of the hull. 1, to broadside movement; hence it isin this plane that I locate the l'iroadsiijle maneuvering nozzles 10,10, hav ing valves 11, 11, respectively, controlling supply of waterjets through the lateral branch pipes 12, 12 that connect with the mainfore and aft pipe 7. Pairs of such nozzles may be located in parallelplanes ctpiidistantfrom said center of lateral re sistance to suitablydistribute the lateral thrust along the hull The center of broad sideresistance may be and frequently aft of the maximum or midship section,in which case broadside maneuvering nozzles would be located furtheraft.

The main, 7, also supplies water through branches 13, 13, controlled byvalve 14, 14,, to a pair or" forwardly directed nozzles 15, 15. Thesenozzles are extraordinarily eliiectivc for stopping the ship whenproceeding at speed, because their ell'ective velocity and resultantnozzle reactions, are increased by the speed of the ship.

I prefer also to extend the main, 1', rearwardly through valve 16, to astern jet, 1?, which discharges against the rudder 52. The latter, beingof balanced construction, lies directly across the path of this jetr-.'lienever the helm is put either to starboard or port, therebydirecting the jet laterally at any desired angle and affording a verypowerful turning etlort re 'dless of whether the ship is running orstationary. This allords a powerful turning cllect because the rudderintercepts and deflects the entire jet stream. By using the stern jetwith the rudder prop erly set and with the reverse nozzles 15, 15*,operatingto balance the forward component of the rudder-deflectedstream, the ship may be made to turn on its axis In the abovearrangement, the maneuvering jets operate on what may be termedrectangular coordinates, that is to say, a broadside movement iseffected by one or more jets discharging at right angles to the axis ofthe ship, while the endwise movement is effected by ellort appliedparallel with the longitudinal axis of the ship. Thus it has onlydiagonal movements that require balanced action of broadside and endwisejets. This is in contrast to the arrangement shown in Fl 2, which will.now be described.

In Fig. 2, the hull 21, rudder 22, motors 2 1, 2d, centrifugal pumps 25,25, main 27,1ieader 28, bov nozzles 29, 29 and all controlling means,may be the same as before. In this case, the arrangement of maneuveringnozzles is analogous to that in Fig. l, in that nozzles oppositelydirected on opposite sides of the ship, as 35 and 37, operate in paralleplanes at angles of $5 to the axis of the ship, while the other pair ofopposite nozzles, 35, 37, operate in parallel planes which are at rightangles to said first mentioned planes.

As the result, a simple broadside maneuver requires simultaneous orcooperative action 019257 on one side of the ship and 35, 37 on theother side of the ship, while straight forward movement requirescooperative action oi 37, 37 and straight rearward or stopping eli'ortrequires cooperation of 35, 35. The forward nozzles 35, 35 and therearward nozzles 37, 37 may be and preferably are located equaldistances fore and aft 01" the center of lateral resistance of the hull,to broadsice movement,when stationary,thus giving simple broadsidemovement when both jets on one side or" the boat are supplied withdischarge streams ot the same volume and velocity, or, waen diagonallyopposite streams are di charged, the ship may be turned on its axis.

Similarly when running, an extraordinary turning moment can be exertedby simultaneously discharging maneuvering streai'ns through nozzle 35 or37 or both, for turning to port; or through nozzle 35 or 37 or both, forturning to starboard.

When angles at 45 are employed, as in Fig. 2, and 35, 35 are usedjointly, of the total action applied to thrustthe ship dircctl y vardwhen the ship is stationary or when zip is in motion. The same thingtrue of 353 and Z c l a id 87 when they are used together in pairs forbroadside moremcnt to port or starboard, the angles are uniformly $5This may not be always desir-able, and a combination of angles may beemployed it better suited to agiven case. "i 3 is, however, a desirablearrangement in many cases and is used for illustration.

Thus the arrangement shown in 2 is a very llexi le one, and to bepreferred to that shown in l, where the use of the rudder is sometimesnecessary. In all cases it seems preferable to use the rudder forsteering ordinarily, but in the case of Fig. 2, the ship may ltlt) l is?without any reducing gear, the revolutions per minute at normal fullspeed of the motor will give the pump impeller a peripheral speedrequired for supplying the water at velocities as wellas 1n volumescorresponding to the requirements of the bow ets. In Fig.

7 2, however, it is assumed that the revolutions per minute of the motorwill'be much higher than in Fig. 1, with the result that a single pumpimpeller of sizesuitable for deliveringthe required volume oi waterwould be opcrating at a peripheral speed in excess of pres- 1 mostefiicient peripheral speed, sub ect only to sure requirements. In thelatter case, much power Wlll be wasted in imparting too high peripheralvelocity to the water in the impeller. This difficulty could be obviatedby a speed reducing gear inserted'between the high speed motor and thepump, thereby bringing down the peripheral-speed oi theimpeller to therequired velocity for the jet output; but one ob ect of my invention isto avoid use of a change speed gear, where possible, substitutingtherefor a plurality or, it

needed, a'multiplicity ofipumps olsui'liciently small impeller diameterso that their impellers will have the proper peripheral speednotwithstanding the high revolutions per minute of the motor. In thisway, the volume and velocity of all of the water delivered to the main 7by the multiplicity of'pumps may be suited to the jet requirementswithout the introduction of gearing' Itthus results that a motor of highoperating speed may be used with a multiplicity ofpumpsoper practicallimitation as to how many pumps it may be desirable toemploy.

As an illustration, we may assume a mot r normally developing 13,590horse p wer at 72,000 revolutions perminute in a ship where properfitting of the bow ets to the hull 7 would require 50,000 gallons ofwater per approximately 350 pounds.

minute delivered against a back pic With livering water at thisrateunder the pressure, an impellersupplying water at the same velocity thatit leaves the jets should have a diameter of approximately 22 inches,but if an impeller of hat diameter were made wide enough to supply therequired volume,

there would not be room enough around the shaft for the intake becauseashaft to transinit such an amount of power would h ve to ply adequatefor volumetric requirements of the respective pumps.

In this arrangement, the multiplicity of pumps gives great flexibilityfor adjustment of. water volumes and pressures to suit the number of'ets in use or for var in the s Deed of the ship, and particularly forvarying the volume or velocity of the water supplied to the jets whenthe ship is running light; for instance, the valvesi8 8 may be operatedto shutoff pumps 25", 25 and both of the engines relieved of part of theload may be run at a higher speed so that the remaining two pumps willdeliver water at greater velocity though the total volume will be lessthan was being delivered by the tour pumps; or by shutting'oi'l pumps 25and 25", one engine, 24, may be idle, while the other engine, 24 doesall the work. In such case, pumps 25 and 25 will tend'to deliver thesame volumes of water as before, at the same pressure and velocity asbefore, providing the total jet outlet area is correspondingly reducedso as to maintain the same back pressure as before.

cutting off one pair of bow jets, saythe upper.

pair, and cutting off two of the pumps, one from each motor, Will makeit possible to have the volume and velocity of Water discharged. throughthe lower two pairs of jets, the same as before, or the load of themotors being reduced by removal of two of the pumps, the motors may berun at higher speed to give a higher velocity to the two lower jets, as,for instance, when the boa is running light draft. In the latter case,the boat speed maybe correspondingly increased and yet the jets maybekept prop erly fitted'forthe higher speed of the boat, according to theprinciples explained in my above cited patent.

Subdividiiig the bow jets into a multiplicity of pairs, arranged atprogressively greater depths in the water, as above-described, isdesirable for a further reason iudi- "indicate the axes oi"- therespective jets and I also what is knownas the diagonals. Diagonalscorrespond to the shortest lines of natural stream line flow of waterrearward along the entrance section, when said water 'is displaced bythe advancing hull. The oblll) jcct of this arrangement is to acceleratethe natural stream line flow without disturbing its natural diagonaldirection any iore than is necessarily involved in accelerating it byjets projected at an outward angle to the hull surface. The outward anle of discharge 1S absolutely essential for reasons explained in myprior patent and this necessarily causes some disturbance anddia-jitortion oi the natural. str am line how, but by my presentinvention. having a plurality of ditl'erently directed to harmonize withthe dill'erent di rections of the diagonals at dillcreut depths aroundthe hull, the natural stream line flow is accelerated with a minimum ofdisturbance. Naturally, the downward inclination of these lines willvary according to the shape of the underbod y, but in ordinary types ofdisplacement boat, the decreased width toward the bottom of the hullwill result in stream lines requiring the lower level jets to bedirected downward at greater angles than those at a higher level.

In Fig. 6, I have shown that where three pairs oi? jets are served by asingle header, as 28, provision for cutting ol f one or more of thepairs, in this case the upper pair, may be made by providing a separatebranch pipe, '4', controlled by separate valve l l". In such case, theupper part of the header Z X will be segregated from the part suil'ilying' the low or jets, either by making it entii 7 separate from 28or, as shown in the (lrawin by providing a partition, 28*, outline; oilmunication between 28 and In Fig. 7, I have shown how a header, .18, maybe made structurally rigid with the hull, l, and at the same timestructurally riajid w ith the exterior-1y projecting nozzle portion, 18,by providing the interior and exterior pa ts with broad faced flanges19, 19 fitting against the hull. plates. 1, and secured by throug ghbolts or rivets 20, 20 20, 20. On the exterior he der member, 18,detachably secured by bolts 4L0, 4C0, a jet nozzle. ll. As explained inmy prior patent, it is po to replace one nozzle by another having! adifferent shape or a dillerent orilice area; a the angle of thedr-schargre may be varied within wide limits, without changing; r jet,merely by inaerti -shapeu, gasket-like spacing); memhe l2, between thesurfaces that are clamped by the bolts to.

The width of the jet orifice and an discharge is made ad: b interiorplates or liners, h of ad justnicnt inward and o ward by means ofsetscrews, 141, provided. th low I n To permit such movement, are liners1-3 preferaliily of spring: bronze shaped to it the converggen .e of theinterior surfaces of the nozzle, having th' lr ends adjacent the nozzletree an d the remote portions anchored to the nozzle, preferably rigidlyas by screws 46, 4:6. Preferably, the spring set oi these liners is ,r,in

such as to cause them to normally lie flat against the nozzle surfaceand they are further forced against such surfaces by the jet pressurewhen in operation. To el'l'ect desired narrowing of the slot outlet ofthe nozzle to reduce the cross-section of the jet without subs. antialreduction in its surface area, or ic purpose of increasing the velocityby arymg the throttle or back pressure effect of nozzle, the set screws44- are simply screwed inward a desired distance. Obviously, those setscrews may be provided with worm or other gearing, whereby they may beoperated from the deck or from the interior of the ship and hinged rigidplates may be used in place of spring plates.

In Fig. 4:, as a suggestive illustration, I have indicated a form ofpower operated valve which it is understood will. be used in place ofthe various valves diagrammatically indicated. in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. InFig. 4;, the water supply pipe 7-" may be taken either as the mainconduit or as any of the branches to be controlled by a valve. The valvecasing :37, crmtains a valve, not shown, which in this case is assun'iedto be an ordinary gate valve,

although a balanced valve can be used pro vided the arrangement is suchas not to involve too great frictional losses by reason of infill-n52;and eddying ot' the Water passing 'therethrough.

'lhe valve stem, 58, is shown as screwthreaded and engaged by aninternally lhrc ded. rotary member, 59, having its periphery, (30,formed as a worm wheel operated by a worm, 61, on armature shaft, 62, of$.11 electric motor, 63, supported on a bracket, (ll. The worm wheel,60. is free to rotate on the screw 58, to move the same up and (Lawn,longitudinal movement of the wheel being: prevented by bracket 65. All

power operated valves suitable for con- :"rinn a central station.

up; water through a scoop, 70, having wardly directed mouth, '3 1, whichmay c protected by a grating, 72. The scoop I be associated with theships hull and '3 2 intakes ll, (3, 6*, 6", by

g flier the mannerindicated ergo outlet at 19, 19, 2 20, in She scoopsare supposed to be lo- 1 deep down under the turn of the bilge, so thatll ran never come out of ll 2 ve :er (l ll'll' g; rolling oi the ship.lVhile separate scoops may be employed for each intake, I have shown in3 how two intakes as 6 (5 can be served by one scoop. For such purpo e.it preferable that the scoop have its e1. -semtio.mi flow capacity atthe mouth, equal to the combined demands of the two inintakes for thepuniips are shown as 20 system of maneuvering jets shown in Fig. 1.,

talkes, While the part extending to the rear intake, 6, is of reducedcross-section adequate for supply of the intake 6 only.

It will be obvious that many features of my invention are not limited tothe specific relation in which they are shown. For. instance, themultiple pumps constructed as above described, would be applicable tojet propulsion or jet maneuvering where the eflort is simply that ofnozzle reaction, although it is also peculiarly adapted for the bow jet,stream line propulsion set forth in myprior patent first abovementioned. The plurality of difierently directed bow jets locatedatdifferent depths as indicated in Fig. 5 have their own specificnovelty in connection with the stream line propulsion. of said patent,even though they be not used'in combination with the maneuver ng jets orwith the multiple pump feature. A boat may have the rectangularcombinedwith the diagonal system indicated in Fig. 2. Other likeindependent and dependent uses and relations and variations Will beobvious to-those skilled in the art.

While I have shown a plurality of pumps with separate intakepipes'leading through the hull, it will be obvious for many purposesthat a multiplicity of'impellers each of the desired diameter capacitymay be enclosed in a single casin In such case, only the inlets to theimpellers need be separate. The intake pipe for drawing water from theoutside may be a single pipe or the discharge pipe leadingto thedistributing main may be a single pipe. The output from all of theimpellers may be controlled by separate valves or by a single valve.

1 claim: I

1. A vessel having a propulsion system including means for maintainingrearwardly directed bow jets of the class described, in combination withsets of maneuvering nozzles on either side of the ship, and anothernianeuverinr' nozzle directed rearwardl and the 0 1 ship being providedwith a balanced rudder havin its vertical ivota-l axis in the oath of bdischarge of said latter jet, together with for- Wardly'and outwardlydirected. nozzles arranged to oppose the forward component of propellingefforts exerted by said rearward stream when deflected by'the rudder.

2. A vessel having a propulsion system including means for maintainingrearwardly directed bow jets of the class described, in combination witha stern jet," sets of maneuvering nozzleson either side of the ship,and. a. jet supply system, including motors, each arranged to apply itspower output through a plurality of centrifugal pumps having ini-'pellers of relatively small diameter, each having a valve controlledoutlet and a main distributing conduit extending parallel with andadjacent the keel, into which all the pump outlets dischargeindependently.

,ed maneuvering jets on each side of the ship,

a jet supply system, including a single distributing conduit extendinglongitudinally of the ship to points adjacent the jets and branch pipesto the jets with valves controlling the individual branches and meansfor supplying water to said conduit including a plurality of internalcombustion engines symmetrically arranged on opposite sides of the keeland parallel tl'ierewith, a centrifugal pump coaxial with and driven byeach engine and separate valve controlled outlets from the pump into theconduit.

4. A vessel having a propulsion system including means for maintainingrea'rwardly directed bow jets of the class described, in combinationwith sets of transversely directed maneuvering jets on each side of theship, a jet supply system, including a main distributing conduit andbranch pipes to the jetswith valves controlling the individual branchesand means for supplying water to said conduit including a plurality ofcentrifugal pumps having independent valve controlled outlets into saiddistributing conduit and a plurality of independently operable drivingunits therefor.

5. A vessel having a propulsion system including means for maintainingrearwardly directed bow jets of the class described, in combination withsets of transversely directed maneuvering jets on each side of the ship,a jet supply system, including a conduit and branch pipes to the jetswith valves controlling the individual branches and means forsupplyingwater to said conduit including a plurality of internalcombustion engines symmetrically arranged on opposite sides ofv the keelparallel therewithand each directly connected to a plurality ofcentrifugal pumps :1 ll discharging into said conduit. 1

6. A vessel having a jet propulsion system of the class described,including nozzle having an elongated oritice for discharge of a ethaving great surface area as compared with its cross-section, saidnozzle being provided with means for adjustably varying the area of thejet orifice.

7. A vessel having a jet propulsion system of the class described,including a nozzle having an elongated orifice for discharge of a jethaving great surface area as compared with its cross-section, saidnozzle being provided with laterally movable means for varying the widthofthe jet orifice.

8. A'vessel having a propulsion system including means for maintainingrearwardly directed bow jets, the jet nozzles beingarranged in pairsv atdifferent depths, those at the same depth discharging at approximatelythe same angles and those at greater depth discharging at angles havinga greater downward component than those at lesser depth.

9. A vessel havlng a propnlslon system 1n- 5 eluding means torxnalntalnlng reerwardly directed bow ets, the Jet nozzles arranged inpalrs at dlfferent depths, sald nozzles helng arranged to dischargetheir jets to correspond With the diagonals of the hull at theirrespective depths.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York,this 17th day of March, A. D. 1927.

CLIFFGRD M. PAXTON.

